The Dark Streets
by ferret assassin nin
Summary: When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their side, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU
1. Hope in the Cruel Streets

_**Our Dark World**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in here except for my plot line and character. **

**Warning: Light gore, minor to severe injuries, blood, moderate violence, and language. **

**Summary: When everything falls down and the world turns for the worst, street kids are left for goners. Maybe there are a few that would help them, but that was before the law came out. With nowhere to go and no safe havens, will one street kid survive?**

_**Chapter 1: The Cruel Streets a Possible Hope**_

The fifteen year old teen ran through the bitter cold wind and the freezing rain just to get away for the two people chasing him. He lost count of just how many alleys he ran through. This wasn't the first time he was chased, but he decided that this was the worst anyone ever chased him before. It seemed like only yesterday when his parents tossed him out in the streets just to get their next fix. No matter how much he hated them he still loved them. He was positive if it wasn't for them he would have given up on life a long time ago.

The boy's luck was twisted because he came to a dead end. The two thugs chasing him smirked and the larger of them said, "Looks like you have no place to go now, kid. Why don't you just give up and we can all go home safely?" Instead of screaming or saying no the 'kid' only shakes his head and pulls out his pocket knife, readying for the fight that was coming his way.

The stalkier of the two thugs said, "We thought you would go quietly, but I guessed we were wrong. Oh well, if it's a fight you want then it's a fight you get." The two thugs pull out their own pocket knives and the fight begins.

After a few heart-stopping minutes the victor of the fight was the thugs. Taking what little food the boy did have they left, the stronger of the two saying, "Next time we catch you stealing out food, we'll kill you pest." As for the boy, he was nothing but a bloody mess. His arms were littered with deep cuts and his dirty-blonde hair had blood all over the uneven locks. He knew from how strong those guys were he had quite a few broken bones.

He didn't know how long he lay in the cold, damp alley, but he eventually found enough energy to get up and limp to the nearest house. Taking note of the caked on blood all over his clothes, that concealed just how bad his injuries were, he grimaced. Before he even knew what he was doing he knocked on the black oak door and used the rusty railing as his stand to lean on. He hoped, forgetting about his twisted luck, that someone was home.

His prayer was answered when the door opened to reveal a mid-tall and tanned figure with a spiked ponytail asking him a question that didn't quite register to him. After the teen got the haziness of his head settled he finally answered the question before falling unconscious. "I'm Mac McKenzie and thank you for saving me." Once he managed to squeak this out he falls on top of his supposed rescuer.

This rescuer placed him on the couch in his living room and covered him with a blanket. He then proceeded to call up a few people to help him bring this boy to a hospital, not caring about the caked on blood all over the boy getting on the couch.

_"What do you mean you have a street kid?" _A panicked voice said over the phone.

"You don't have to yell. Just get the others and come over here. I think he's injured really bad. He may need medical treatment."

There was silence on the other line before you heard, _"Alright, alright, we're coming over. Just keep him from dying." _After this was said, the rescuer hung up the phone and got his med kit to heal what little of the boy's injuries he could.

A few minutes later he heard the knocks at his door and went over to open it. He was relieved when he found out it was just his firends. There were four of his firends and he assumed the others were too busy to come or just didn't want to get involved.

"So, where'e the street kid you metioned on the phone earlier?" Kakashi asked curiously. His hair was uncharacteristicly drooped and he was in a pair of loose jeans and a red tee shirt with a camo jacket, opened, over top and a cloth over his left eye.

"Isn't it a bit cold to be wearing that, Kakashi?" The rescuer asked and let all of them in. Each of them saw the 'cute' scene infront of them until they noticed the dried blood.

"No, not really." Came the lazy reply. After all, this wasn't the first time he saw a street kid beaten up this badly.

"Is he going to be alright?" One of the others asked cautiously looking over at the sleeping form. He too had loose fitting jeans, but he wore a tight, black tanktop with a denim jacket over top of it and he had his ever so famous skewer between his teeth.

"I hope so." It was those three words that prevented anymore questions from his friends. They figured that who ever this kid was, he wouldn't brign them any trouble. Afterall, the law did say that under no circumstances is anyone allowed to house street kids and people who are caught will be severely punished. They could only wait in strained silence that the boy would hopefully wake up so they can take a better look at his injuries.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

** Well, this chapter came out a bit short, but I hope you still like it anyway. Something that I forgot to mention at the begining is that this is an AU meaning that the Naruto characters are not ninja and are everyday people. **

**I'm hoping that you liked it and will give me some reviews. I also wanted to mention that if I make a short chapter then I'll try to put more content in the next chapter. I'll make up for any delayed updates. **

**I have a good idea where I want this story to go and I'm still trying to work out a few rough parts. Overall, I hope you won't be harsh when you review because this is my first time writing somethng that's out of the Ninja Universe of Naruto. **


	2. A Question of Trust

_The Dark Streets_

Summary: When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their side, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU

_Chapter 2: Trust and be Trusted; Can They Be Trusted?_

_**Previously:**__"Is he going to be alright?" One of the others asked cautiously looking over at the sleeping form. He too had loose fitting jeans, but he wore a tight, black tank top with a denim jacket over top of it and he had his ever so famous skewer between his teeth._

_"I hope so." It was those three words that prevented anymore questions from his friends. They figured that who ever this kid was, he wouldn't bring them any trouble. After all, the law did say that under no circumstances is anyone allowed to house street kids and people who are caught will be severely punished. They could only wait in strained silence that the boy would hopefully wake up so they can take a better look at his injuries. _

As the teen started to wake up, he winced in pain as he tried to sit up. Temporarily forgetting as to why he was inside a house he glanced around with fear in his eyes. Then, after a few minutes, he remembers how he was saved by that mysterious person.

He could've sworn that there was only that person in the house, but considering how badly he was injured, it would be hard to tell if he was imagining things or not. With a pained grunt he sits up and coughs a few times before noting the blood on his hands.

Whether it was from the fight he was in earlier or it was from his mouth, he couldn't tell. He felt something cold against his hand and quickly withdrew it.

"Easy, here, have some water. Oh, and why you're at it, take these; they're pain relievers." A voice said in a soothing manner. The teen gratefully takes the water, but gives the person who has the two small, red pills a suspicious look. The supposed 'pain relievers' didn't look like any color of pain relievers he knew.

"What are you trying to do; drug me? Sorry, but if that was your intention, then you need to know that I'm not into that kind of stuff. I may be on the streets, but that doesn't mean I take nor do drugs. That kind of stuff will get you killed and it messes with your brain. Sure, pass them off as pain relievers, but I'm not buying it at all." The teen said stubbornly.

"Wow, smart kid; you don't see that many of them on the streets." Another person said that was inside the room.

"Okay, look, they're not drugs. I don't know what kind of fight you got in, and I don't want to know, but these will at least reduce some of the pain I'm sure you're in. Here, if it makes you feel better, then take a look at the pill bottle yourself and pour out two." He noted that the voice was a bit agitated, but nonetheless it was cool and calculating.

Without any further arguing, the boy picks up the bottle and reads the label:

**XLO…. ****(He didn't care for the name of the medicine and skipped through a few parts)**

**Purpose: To help sooth any pain and/or irritation; also to help improve awareness and decrease drowsiness.**

**Warning: Do not take with any alcoholic beverages or with other pain medicines. Do not take more then the recommended dose. If you are pregnant, then consult a physician first. Do not give to children under the age of 10.**

After reading this, he shrugs and takes the pills out of the person's hand and swallows them dry, getting curious looks from everyone else in the room. He only throws them a look that says, "What?"

"So, now that we got that out of the way, why don't we start off with introductions?" The guy who commented him earlier says receiving nods from everyone else in the room. "How about the kid goes first?" The boy only shrugs his shoulders, something that he shouldn't do much often because of the pain, agreeing to what the person said.

"Mac McKenzie," Mac says offhandedly. It may not be his real name, but he wasn't going to give complete strangers his real name. That could lead to trouble and the less trouble he has, the better.

"Umino Iruka," The guy that saved him earlier says.

"Hatake Kakashi, Shiranui Genma," A sliver haired person said pointing to himself and then to the person on his right who was chewing on what he assumed to be a toothpick.

"Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu," Says the guy who Mac accused of giving him drugs and then pointing to the guy that commented him earlier. Now with the introductions out of the way, Mac knew what was coming next. So, he prepared for the questions that were coming his way.

"So, Mac, where did you get into a fight at?" It was the guy known as Iruka who asked. He thought for a moment wondering whether or not it would be a very good idea to tell him the truth. Weighing his options he decides to go ahead and tell the truth figuring that it was better then coming up with a clever lie.

"On 34th Street, in the alley between the Barber Shop on Todds Lane and Frank's Pizza," He says in a calm tone, but very cautiously chooses his words. If he had he said, "On 34th Street, in the alley," they would likely assume that he was either in a gang or that he was shoplifting since that's the street where most of the city's panhandlers frequent.

"Alright, so were you running from someone?" This was another question where he has to choose his words carefully.

"No- well, yes- I mean no- uhm…" He stutters trying to figure out what he should say that wouldn't bring any suspicion to him. "Kinda, I was running from them, but then…uh…" He struggles again. Everyone in the room was frowning and he knew he had to say something.

"You're not thinking of lying, are you Mac?" Genma asks noting the frantic look on the teen's face. This brings Mac to defend himself quickly.

"I'm not lying nor do I plan on lying. I was running from them, but then I got trapped at a dead end and I had nowhere else to go. That was when they drew out their pocket knives and came at me." Mac didn't fail to notice the worried looks each of them had.

"They came at you with knives? Did you defend yourself?" Iruka asks curious. Mac nods his head and pulls up both of his sleeves of his sweater and shows the deep and now dried cuts on his arms.

"This would be the result of defending my self. That's why it's just easier to not do anything. Then, hopefully, they wouldn't hurt you that much. They hate it when you defend yourself." He says realizing that he didn't breathe at all and takes in the much needed air.

He caught all of the expressions on their faces and he looks at his shoes in embarrassment. If anyone could ward off two thugs twice their size, it was him. Of course, he wouldn't be in this mess had his friends not all break up.

"Who's "They" and why do "They" want to hurt you?" Mac only sighs in defeat at this question that Kakashi asks and answers it in one word.

"Revs," that was all he needed to say to get everyone worked up.

"But why would the- wait, are you in a gang?" It was Iruka who asks this and Mac only looks up at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I was in a gang. Then we just split up one day and it was everyone for their selves. That was the day when I lost five of my closest friends and was left alone to die." After he says this, he then adds, "Do I have to answer anymore questions? I don't feel like answering anymore." Iruka gives a defeated sigh and shakes his head.

"Let's just get you to a hospital. I don't like how some of those bruises look." After he says this, Mac knew he was going to hear it well and wondered idly if any of his friends were still alive.

* * *

Two teens around Mac's age are running from three or five people and then they duck in a theft store and wait for them to pass before going back out and running in the opposite direction. After a few good minutes, they stop to sit on a park bench having cross into Franklin's City Park.

"That was so freakin' awesome!" One of the teens says excitedly panting hard and trying to catch his breath. He has choppy, short black hair that falls into his eyes and deep grey eyes with a black hoodie and baggy jeans on with very pale skin.

"Yeah, I know, right!? It was like as if they were too dumb to notice us and then they just give chase like that. I'm surprised that we could still run like that, ya know?" Another teen says panting as well and he had a smug smirk on his face. He had shoulder length dark gray hair and jade colored eyes. He wears two shirts; a white tank under his bulky, navy blue hoodie and had tight fitting jeans with olive colored skin.

"Yeah, let's get going. The sun's sitting and I don't think we want to be walking in streets at dark unless we want a death wish. Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to Mike. He said to meet him at Cross Roads 56th Street by noon and he wasn't there." They both look deep in thought before the black haired one smiles.

"Well, wherever he might be, we'll find him for sure. He's way to smart to get killed by the other gangs. We better hurry before the sun completely sets."

"Yeah," Little did they know that their friend was going to be in the hospital for a while and that two people were watching them.

* * *

Two shadows in the trees smirk at the display.

"Hear that, Joe, looks like they're missing one of their members. How about we jump them and kill them now?"

"No, not now, wait until later; much later." Once this was said both of the shadows run to their hideout to tell their Boss about the news.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, here's the second chapter. Like I promised, I added more stuff to it since the other chapter was short. Beign that this Christmas Eve, I probably won't update until sometime after Chirstmas. It looks like Mac's much more trouble then they thought. There wasn't a fight in this one, but I promise to put a fight in the next one! I hope you leave reviews in the spirit of Christmas! It'll make me very happy to have some reviews for this story!! **

**Happy Holidays,**

**ferret assassin nin **


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

_**The Dark Streets**_

**Summary: **When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their side, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU

_Thoughts_

"Speech"

(notes)

_**Chapter 3: Where Are They; This Will Result in a Fight!?**_

_**Previously: **__"Who's "They" and why do "They" want to hurt you?" Mac only sighs in defeat at this question that Kakashi asks and answers it in one word._

"_Revs," that was all he needed to say to get everyone worked up._

"_But why would the- wait, are you in a gang?" It was Iruka who asks this and Mac only looks up at him with an unreadable expression on his face._

"_I was in a gang. Then we just split up one day and it was everyone for their selves. That was the day when I lost five of my closest friends and was left alone to die." After he says this, he then adds, "Do I have to answer anymore questions? I don't feel like answering anymore." Iruka gives a defeated sigh and shakes his head._

"_Let's just get you to a hospital. I don't like how some of those bruises look." After he says this, Mac knew he was going to hear it well and wondered idly if any of his friends were still alive._

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"_Yeah, let's get going. The sun's sitting and I don't think we want to be walking in streets at dark unless we want a death wish. Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to Mike. He said to meet him at Cross Roads 56th Street by noon and he wasn't there." They both look deep in thought before the black haired one smile._

"_Well, wherever he might be, we'll find him for sure. He's way to smart to get killed by the other gangs. We better hurry before the sun completely sets."_

"_Yeah," Little did they know that their friend was going to be in the hospital for a while and that two people were watching them._

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"_Hear that, Joe, looks like they're missing one of their members. How about we jump them and kill them now?"_

"_No, not now, wait until later; much later." Once this was said both of the shadows run to their hideout to tell their Boss about the news._

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It was sometime later when Mac recognizes the intimidating, brick building baring the sign that read: St. Harper's Hospital: Home to the lost cases.

_They really make the hospital seem more like a correctional facility. I've been to this hospital on several occasions; one of those occasions being when my parents were shot dead. _Mac thinks and he begins to feel that all too familiar sensation of his throat burning. Surprisingly, no tears came to his eyes. He guesses that that's because all his years of crying over dying people stole the tears from him. Instead, a cold, bitter, and empty feeling fills a void of his heart.

A voice shakes him out of his muses asking if he was alright. He only nods his head and nothing more is said to him.

Only when he is greeted by a doctor does he start talking again.

"Hello, Mr. Mac McKenzie, right," Mac gives the doctor a quick nod and the doctor continues. "Hi, I'm Dr. Reveling; it's a pleasure meeting you. Will you follow me, please?" Mac follows the middle aged, male doctor and the people that brought him here (Iruka, Genma, and Kakashi; Izumo and Kotetsu stayed Iruka's house) start to follow as well only to be stopped by the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but the patient is inclined to privacy. I'm sure you're worried for him, but please wait here. At this hospital we believe that the patient is more likely not to tell the truth when they're around other people." They all understand this and wait in the waiting room.

Mac continues to follow the doctor down the seemingly never-ending walls and keeps himself from glancing into any of the rooms on the way there. Finally the doctor opens a fine-oak door and he motions for Mac to follow him in. It was only when the doctor closes the door that he starts talking to Mac again.

"So, Mac, how have you been recently?" Dr. Reveling asks. Whether it was out of good-natured conversation or protocol Mac didn't know.

"I've been fine, doctor. I could be better though." This only gets the doctor to give him a questioning look.

"What could be better?" He asks wrapping the blood pressure measurer around his left bicep (he does the vitals, because the other nurses are busy at the moment).

"Well, I had a cold and uhm… I kinda got into a fight." At this the doctor throws a worried glance at him before taking the readings of the blood pressure measurer and writing them down on his clipboard. "It's nothing serious, though. It was only horse playing."

"Ah, you should be more careful. Did you and your friends use knives?" Mac just remembers that he was scratched up by two knives and it is the reason why all of this happened in the first place.

"Only as a joke, y'know, like to tease each other? I guess in our carelessness I got hurt. Just goes to show you why you shouldn't play with knives, right Doc?" He says and gives a light smile. At this the doctor gives him a searching look before smiling in return.

"I guess so. Let's get an X-Ray to see if you have any broken bones, hm?" The doctor leads him to another examination room. Mac gets under the machine and waits patiently for the doctor to finish.

After about twenty minutes the doctor motions for Mac to get up and shows him the results.

"It looks like you have a few good bruises on your bones, but none are broken and the bruises will go away after a few weeks. However, I'll have to give you an arm brace for your sprained wrist on your right hand.

"Overall, there's nothing to worry about. Just be more careful when you and your friends are play fighting, alright? Also, don't use knives either; some of those cuts are pretty deep. Whoever cleaned and wrapped them up did a wonderful job." At this the doctor gives Mac his arm brace and walks him back to the waiting room.

"Thanks, Doc, I'll be more careful next time." He says and puts on a fake smile. As Kakashi and Genma get up to leave, with Mac following behind them, the doctor calls Iruka over.

"Yes, Dr. Reveling?"

"I need to express my concern for Mac. The bruises he has go as far as his bones, but he has no broken bones. I think he was lying to me about what happened. He said that he got into a fight, but it was just horse playing.

"He has some very deep cuts on his arms and there are one too many for it to be just horse playing. Is there something I should know?" The doctor asks with honest concern. Knowing what Mac has been through, he could be cutting himself or trying to attack someone out on the street.

"Well, he said he used to be in a gang and he got into a fight with two people from the Revs who had knives. The cuts are the result of him fighting back." At this the doctor's face fell.

"I thought so. You see, this isn't the first time I've seen him come in here. He's a street kid who used to be one of my patients before he just vanished from my files." Dr. Reveling says somewhat sadly. Iruka's face went from angry to concern and then to scared in only a few split seconds.

"I know all kinds of things are running through you're head right now, but try to understand his situation. His parents got rid of him when he was little and the gang he was in was his, and still are, his only family. Ever since they have broken up into smaller groups… let's just say it wasn't pretty." Iruka nods his head and turns to walk out the door. He rushes to the boy that would soon have more of a family then he ever had.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When the two boys got to their hideout, they noticed two things: 1) It was way too noisy and 2) Everyone from their gang was there. You had Chris, Lexi (pronounced as Les-lee), Adam, Ryan, Andie (her parents gave her a guy's name- Andy- so they call her, Andie) Fred, Huston, Hex, and there respected leader, Daniel; all of them ranging from the ages of thirteen to seventeen.

What is the only thing that separates them from the other gangs? The fact that they are not into drugs, they don't attack other gangs unless provoked, and they never steal anything unless it is necessary.

Confused by this the two boys ask in ursion, "What's everyone doing 'ere?" It wasn't uncommon that they got together like this and had meetings, but it wasn't common that they were all together either; not after that one night.

So, here you have about nine different teens, minus the two baffled boys (which would add up to twelve), all ages ranging from thirteen to seventeen, several different personalities, and have nothing in common except for the fact that they all are a gang that call themselves, "The Lucky 13". Which, knowing all of their luck, was quite ironic to say the least.

"Well, we're obliviously not here to socialize, if that's what you two nimrods were thinking." Lexi deadpanned. She has crystal blue eyes, with tan-pale skin and dark brown hair, which was held up in a sloppy bun, and has a personality that's colder then ice. Despite her personality, she's the caretaker of the group and enjoys being sarcastic.

"Alright, Lexi, there's no reason to insult them. It's not their fault that they didn't know about this." That was Hex, her older brother, speaking. Unlike his younger sister, he had pitch black hair, ghostly pale skin, royal blue eyes, and a laid-back, if not a little overprotective, personality about him. He was the one who kept an eye out for everyone and had all of their backs when it came to street fights.

"It wasn't an insult; it was a compliment." Lexi says with over dramatized sarcasm. Hearing someone clearing their throat, unnecessary loud, everyone turns their attention to the leader of the "The Lucky 13".

"Now that I have everybody's attention, I would like for the British guys, James and Jason (their real names; there fake names, or street names, are Mitch (James) and Jake (Jason) so to avoid confusion, I'll use their street names; the same goes for Mac), to take their seats so we can get started ASAP. We have a lot to cover and very little time to do it-" Daniel starts only to be disrupted.

"More like none, if you ask me," Lexi says and her brother shoots her a death glare, but she ignores it and, in turn, Daniel ignores her.

"-in so we can't have side conversations," at this he glares at Andie and Chris who stop whispering to each other, "or no one will know what to do and I'm not repeating myself. Now, does either of you two know where Mike (his real name as opposed to Mac) is?" Daniel asks the two British boys, Mitch and Jake, that just walked into the hideout.

As he asks this, Mitch and Jake look at each other uncertainly and a whole fifteen minutes go by in silence before Jake speaks up.

"He was meeting us at Cross Roads 56th Street at noon and he never showed up right, Mitch," the taller of the two says, turning to his friend.

"Yeah, we waited a little longer and the grit still didn't show up," Mitch says and Daniel nods his head in understanding.

"Then we have quite a lot of problems to tend to. That's why I called this meeting up in the first place. Now, let's figure out how to find Mike," and then everyone begins to spit out their plans on how to find Mac.

Adam and Chris came up with a plan that was shot down when Lexi pointed out several flaws and uncertainty. Which led to Ryan telling the group a plan that he and Huston came up with, but it's also shot down because it's too risky.

Hex makes an attempt to announce a plan he and his younger sister came up with which James shot down and resulted in an argument between him, Lexi, Jason, and Hex. Daniel told all four of them to shut the Hell up and they did.

When everyone started to get into fights he only sighs and thinks, _If only you were here, Mike, then we wouldn't be in this mess. Where are you and please by all hopes still be alive out there somewhere, _before he yells to get all of them to shut up.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mac was really beginning to miss the streets as he sits in utter silence in the living room not wanting to talk to anyone (everyone were having their own conversations). He was thankful for all of their concern, (Iruka, Genma, Izumo, Kotetsu, and Kakashi) but he really didn't want any help from people he doesn't know. Just as he was about to get up to walk away from all of the conversation, Kakashi pulls him back down.

"Where are you going, Mac?" Thinking of something clever to say he stalls for time.

"Why do you want to know where I'm going? If you don't trust me, then just say so. I'll have no hard feelings." Kakashi is taken aback by how accusing Mac was. He never said that he didn't trust him, did he?

"I trust you, but I just want to know where you're going." Mac holds his tongue and calmly says his lie.

"I need to go to the bathroom. Do you know where the bathroom is?" Mac asks hoping that Kakashi would by his lie.

"Down the hall, the second door on your right," he says pointing to the hallway that snakes off from the living room. Mac nods his head in thanks and heads in the direction Kakashi told him to. He hoped that Iruka had a large window in the bathroom or at least one large enough for him to fit through.

Reaching the bathroom, he was surprised by how beautiful it looks. The tiled floor was a solid white and the walls were painted sky blue. When he looks at the sink it is solid white as well and so is the shower/bathtub.

He looks for the window and thanks the skies for its size; medium, no mesh on the outside, and was large enough for him to climb out of. He walks up to the window and unlocks it before pushing it up halfway to stick his head out and see how far the drop was. For once in his life he was lucky because it was only two feet from the ground so he could just jump on out.

Sliding the window up the rest of the way, he climbs out and pulls the window back down before running right back into the streets. He wasn't rude, so he left a note saying:

**Thank you for your kindness, but I have to get back to the streets so I don't get any of you into trouble. I will always be thankful for what you did.**

**Yours truly,**

**Mac McKenzie**

Even though he was thankful and glad that they helped him out, he didn't want the police to knock on the door, incase they did one of the random searches that they do, and find him there. He may lose their trust, but it wouldn't matter if he gets all of them caught and then lose their trust. No, he would rather lose their trust for running away from them, not for getting them caught.

As for now, he needs to find his, Mitch's, and Jake's hideout before they decide to chase after him. He hopes that he'll be able to find his gang's hideout before dawn comes and the police start searching.

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**Author's Note: Well, I'm sorry that the fight scene wasn't all bloody and stuff, but the story is meant to be that way. I'm building supense for the upcoming fight. This was a killer to write because I got confused as to whether or not to make James and Jason twins. I'm also sorry if I put too much dialouge in the first part, but I couldn't think of any other way to write out that scene. **

**So now what will happen now that his friends are looking for him and Mac left from his "safety net"? What became of the two men watching James and Jason? Will the up coming fight bring more then just injuries? All this and more to soon be posted.**

**I need to add in the ages of the gang: Chris- 15, Lex-13, Hex-16, Adam-14, Ryan-13, Andie-14, Fred-17, Daniel-17, Huston-16, Mac-16, Mitch-15, Jason-15**

** Everyone in the gang, minus: James, Jason, and Mac; have no second names. This is because the rest of the gang doesn't have parents associated with the police. Daniel calls them by their real name because he doesn't want them to be singled out of the rest of the gang.**

**This chapter is a lot longer then I had planned. In fact, I'll have to make a second part for this chapter because it's so long. I also made it longer because I wanted to make up for the delayed update. **

**Well, hope you message me, review, or do something after I read this! **

**Thank you,**

**ferret assassin nin **


	4. Trouble! The Fight Begins!

_**The Dark Streets**_

**Summary: **When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their side, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delayed update, but I've been plagued with writer's block for a while. Due to so many of you who are looking forward to this chapter, I've decided to update. As for your question, ReiRei, yes Mac is portrayed as Naruto in my fic. Does this mean that my other characters are Naruto's friends? Sadly, they're not because, well, they'll come in later. I would like to thank you for those of you who put my story on their favorites list. Now with out further to do, Chapter 4!!!

_**Previously: **__"Well, he said he used to be in a gang and he got into a fight with two people from the Revs who had knives. The cuts are the result of him fighting back." At this the doctor's face fell._

"_I thought so. You see, this isn't the first time I've seen him come in here. He's a street kid who used to be one of my patients before he just vanished from my files." Dr. Reveling says somewhat sadly. Iruka's face went from angry to concern and then to scared in only a few split seconds._

"_I know all kinds of things are running through you're head right now, but try to understand his situation. His parents got rid of him when he was little and the gang he was in was his, and still are, his only family. Ever since they have broken up into smaller groups… let's just say it wasn't pretty." Iruka nods his head and turns to walk out the door. He rushes to the boy that would soon have more of a family then he ever had._

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"_Then we have quite a lot of problems to tend to. That's why I called this meeting up in the first place. Now, let's figure out how to find Mike," and then everyone begins to spit out their plans on how to find Mac._

_Adam and Chris came up with a plan that was shot down when Lexi pointed out several flaws and uncertainty. Which led to Ryan telling the group a plan that he and Huston came up with, but it's also shot down because it's too risky._

_Hex makes an attempt to announce a plan he and his younger sister came up with which James shot down and resulted in an argument between him, Lexi, Jason, and Hex. Daniel told all four of them to shut the Hell up and they did._

_When everyone started to get into fights he only sighs and thinks, __If only you were here, Mike, then we wouldn't be in this mess. Where are you and please by all hopes still be alive out there somewhere, __before he yells to get all of them to shut up._

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_Even though he was thankful and glad that they helped him out, he didn't want the police to knock on the door, incase they did one of the random searches that they do, and find him there. He may lose their trust, but it wouldn't matter if he gets all of them caught and then lose their trust. No, he would rather lose their trust for running away from them, not for getting them caught._

_As for now, he needs to find his, Mitch's, and Jake's hideout before they decide to chase after him. He hopes that he'll be able to find his gang's hideout before dawn comes and the police start searching._

_**Chapter 4: Trouble! The fight begins!**_

Mac didn't how long he ran or how many blocks he covered within his five minutes of running away from the house. If he did know anything, it was that the wind started to pick up and what was once just a bitter-cold evening now became a frigid-winter night. Even with all the running he did, sadly, the cold still didn't go away; he figures that is because the bitter-chilled air settled its self within the warm welcoming of his bones.

After a few more minutes running, he stops and tries to get his bearings straight before he continues on. Upon looking up at the street sign that read: **Chestnut 34****th**** Street **he sighs and sits one of the many stoops on the street, wishing that he knew where he was.

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While Mac sat in despair and the "Lucky 13" was searching for him, two much older men were plotting a devious scheme.

"Is the current information that you tell me accurate?" A man in the shadows asked. The only thing that you could see of him was his menacing, hazel eyes that had a lick of silver in them that could outmatch the shimmering moon tonight.

"Yes, the boy has indeed run away from his 'friends' and left them on their own." A tall figure says with not even the slightest hint of warmth. Despite his tall figure, he was all but taller then his boss that stands before him.

"As for his two friends, they headed back to their little hideout to wait for him. We should strike now while the two are off-guard and kill that back-stabbing kid afterwards." Another figure says heatedly. In contrast to the figure beside him and the figure in front of him, he is short and stocky. He has a ruby-red eye and a baby-blue one that are reflected by the moons dull shine.

"This is not good. If what you tell me is correct, then we have a lot of problems right now." The taller of the two announces grimly. He glares at the two people standing in front of him and both fight the urge to look away. "We can't strike now because, if we do, that will raise suspicion to the rest of "Unlucky 7" and we don't have enough men to fight them."

"So, what should we do then?" The stalkier of all them asked.

"Leave them be. We'll wait until dusk tomorrow before we strike. For right now, we need to prepare the gang." With this said the two men standing in front of their boss laugh coldly.

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'_It has been twenty minutes since he's been in there. Is he alright?' _Kakashi asks himself and begins to get a bit flustered. "Hey, 'Kashi, have you seen Mac anywhere? I could've sworn he was in here a couple of minutes ago," Iruka asks the silver haired man.

"Uhm… yeah, he said he had to go to the bathroom earlier. Other then that, I haven't seen him; I think he's still in the bathroom." Kakashi responds a tad bit more concerned then he let on to. At this, Genma gets up, along with Iruka, and says, "Well, I think we should go check. He could've drowned or something. Worse yet, ran off somewhere and got himself killed."

"Don't even say things like that, Genma." Iruka says with dread evident in his voice.

Once Genma and Iruka were at the bathroom door, they noticed that the door was opened, but no one was inside. _'Oh no, no, no…. where did that boy go?' _Both Genma and Iruka stare dumbfounded before Iruka takes action. "I'll tell the others. Genma, check to see if Mac left a note anywhere." At this, he dashed back to living room to tell the others.

"_What!? He did what!?"_ Izumo screams and quickly dashes to the bathroom. Kotetsu, equally worried as Izumo, takes a more drastic approach and heads to the back of the house. _The next time I see him, I'll..._ but his thoughts were cut off as he heard police sirens in the distance. His eyes become huge and he rushes back to the others to tell them that the police are coming.

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By the time Mac pulls himself up from the stoop he was sitting on, he hears sirens in the distance and he looks up at the sky; Dawn. He says several curses under his breath as he cuts through an alley way and dash to the North side of Franklin's Park to duck in some bushes. Unfortunately, he slips and falls on the dew drenched grass and sides all the way to the cliff where he reaches just mere centimeters within range of the broad and, surly, frigid river.

He stands up and looks at his would-be doom, shaking his head sadly. _How close did I just become to falling off this cliff and landing in that river? I really have to be more careful now. If only I knew where- _his thoughts were cut off as he heard a voice shout: "Looking for trouble, aren't you kid? How many warnings did we give you not to come back here? I guess you never learn."

Despite his rock-hard fear, he boldy says, "Yeah? Well, you can't kill me. Know why? I'm gonna jump off this cliff and kill myself!" At this statement, the two thugs back up scared.

"Y- You're crazy! There's no way you're g-gonna actually do th-that are you kid? You have ta be b-bluffing!" This thug has bright-red hair that is held in a low poney tail and his beady-black eyes were large with fright. Mac looks to him, to the river, back to him and back at the river before shakily putting his left foot out over the cliff_. So, this is how it ends, huh_? Just as he was about to put his other foot over the cliff line, a loud and dark voice barks out.

"Mike, you take one more step and so help me, I'll make sure you die! What are you thinking; kiling yourself for this- this... scum!? You get back off that cliff right now!" The sudden voice made him jump back in fright and he lands lamely on his rear. He looks over to the voice and realizes that there wasn't anyone over there. _What the hell- _before he could finish his thought he feels the back of his colar being pulled upwards and he starts to choke.

"Well, lost your nerve didn't you kid? How about I give you a little help? I think you would like that, wouldn't you?" He was barely aware of being flung to the ground behind the person and feeling several sharp stabs in his back. When the stabbing stopped, he tried to get up but was only kicked in his side and knocked upside the head by something hard. He lets out a groan of pain and stumbbles, clumsiliy, onto his feet.

"Yeah, get out of here you freak! Next time you come here, we'll throw you over the cliff!" He hardly registers this voice and continues to run off in the direction that, he hoped, was his gang's hideout.

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Looking at the bright late morning sky, Daniel stops his gang and spills out the plan that they each came up with.

"Alright, Jack and Jason, you two search the south end of Franklin City Park. Lex and Chris, I want you two to head off to the central part of the park and search there. Everyone else, I want you to pair up with someone and search all of the key places in the park. As for me, I'll head to the river." Several of them were about to protest, but Daniel dismisses them before they could even start.

"Ugh.... this is such a pain. Why do we have to look for him anyway? He'll find his way back to us. We should've just waited at the hang out," Jack complains.

"Well, you do expect? For all we know Mac could be...." Jason lets the sentence hang in the air too afraid to say the rest of it.

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**Well, this is where I'll have to leave off at. I've been in such a dark mood that I didn't feel like updating. I'm sorry again for the wait. It was just I've had writers block and then when I started to type this chapter, i just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm really sorry guys.... I'll try not to let that happen again.**

**On a different note, I think that this chapter isn't as good as the others. It will be really nice if you could give me your thoughts on this chapter and tell me what's wrong with it. i'm really trying to write this story and I'm starting to come up short. Please, I don't care if it's criticism, just help me make this chapter better. If this is a good chapter and I was just dissing myself, then tell me what was good about it. **

**In whole, I hope this chapter is alright and I'll try to update more frequently. Probably like every Friday. Well, tell me what you think.**

**Happy belated New Years, **

**ferret assassin nin**


	5. Fights and Tension

**The Dark Streets**

**Disclaimer: Who said I owned Naruto? Whoever said that, sadly, I don't own it. TT**

**Summary: When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their sides, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU**

**Symbols: **_'Thought'_

_"_Speech"

**_"Past Speech" _**

"though speech"

change of scene: 0000000000000

**~Character View~ **

**Author's Note: Well, this is the 5****th**** Chapter of my story and I hope you guys like this. No more previous fillers. For now on, it's just the story! Without further to do, I am proud to present:**

_**Chapter 5: Fights Start and Tension Rises **_

Mac didn't know how long he has been running for and has no idea how many miles he has covered. _'Apparently it's far enough to get the hell away from those freaks.' _He thinks bitterly, but not as bitter as the wind is right now. He now wonders why he hadn't thought to get a jacket while in he was in the Flea Market District.

'_Oh yeah…I was running from my would-be death. That's the reason why I ever went in that direction to begin with. God, why do you bring me this luck? Why didn't you let me kill myself when I had the chance back when I first found "Lucky 13," as they dubbed themselves? _

'_What a sick and cruel joke; it's all just a joke to you, huh? I guess you really don't care about people like my grandmother told me when she would lecture me about you. _

'_Perhaps, you don't have the time to deal with a pathetic street kid like me who almost succeeded in committing the worst possible sin; suicide? I guess that would explain it. Well, thanks for everything plus more.' _At this he fights back bitter tears wondering what would his grandmother had thought if he thought that?

It breaks his heart and, surely breaks his grandmother's heart, yet he still does it. After all, fate and destiny are held in your own hands, not His.

Just by the time he finishes his musings and vents, he collides face first with a tree that was older than the oldest age of mankind.

"Ow… that could have gone way better," he says and then thinks bitterly, for what might be the fourth time that day, '_First sign of madness talking to your self and holding an argument; check. The second sign of madness is running into trees and accusing inhumanly beings of your problem; check. Just two more things to check off and I can officially claim myself crazy.'_

Suddenly aware of how eerily quiet the park has gotten, he pulls out his grandfather's father's Swiss army knife, and braces his self for whatever twisted fate beheld him this time.

Several minutes went by and nothing happened. _'Hah! Paranoia, the third sign of madness, is now checked off of my list.' _He says and puts his Swiss Army Knife away in it's holding pouch on the side of his, badly torn, jeans.

Before he could get any further than twenty yards he hears three loud gunshots in rapid session. Without even thinking, he pulls his pocket knife back out and conceals it in his baggy hoodie sleeve, ready to be used at the last moment.

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After several hours of trying to find Mac, all five men- Kakashi, Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Iruka- finally called it quits. If they couldn't find him by now, then they would never find him at all in the massive jungle of concrete.

"Should we really just give up? I mean, for all we know, the kid could be in like… the next city block or something," Izumo asks Kotetsu as they head up to their meeting spot. Earlier, they had split up into two separate groups in order to cover more ground.

It was hard to believe that anyone could get so far in such little time; especially if they didn't know the streets in the South District well.

"Izumo, you know as well as I do that there's no possible way to find him at this point. Besides, our only other option is to call in a missing person report to the police department, but that's gone, eh?" Kotetsu says with a lot less bitterness than he would let on. After that, they both remained quiet for the trip there thinking just what on earth was the kid thinking.

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It's been only a few hours since Lucky 13's search for their missing comrade, but the bitter chill, tiredness, and tiny side arguments, are taking their toll.

**~With Lexi and Chris~**

They finally make it to the Center part of the park, known as "no-man's land" due to this being the cross section of the two rival gangs. Although they made an agreement that no one from either the Revs or Lucky 13 were to hurt anyone in this section, it still didn't stop fights from breaking out. In fact, this was such a bad part of Franklin's Park where the worst fights would break free.

"Chris! Come here, quick! There's something you need to see!" Lexi shouts and Chris comes up to her in a rush, 9mm hand gun out. This wasn't called "no-man's land" for nothing.

"What the hell! You made me think that someone was attacking you or something! What is it that I almost had to kill you over!?" Chris says in a harsh tone. He had been only seconds away from pulling the trigger when he realized that Lexi was in no danger.

"Tsch, you're such a worry wart! I swear-," she stops talking and violently starts at the loud gun shots. "Did you hear that!? _Did you hear that!? _We need to get out of here and find the rest of the gang!" Chris didn't need to answer that question. They both run off in the direction where Daniel went.

**~With Ryan & Fred~**

Both of the two teens sit down on a bench in the park trying to catch their breath. Of course, they heard the gun shots, but neither felt like they had the energy to fight. Besides, who would want to get into a fight after, being out of breath and extremely exhausted, just narrowly avoiding a game of cat and mouse?

"Did you hear those…. Gunshots…. Ryan?" Fred asks panting and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"No dip Sherlock; anyone could've heard them. What we need to worry about is finding Mike (Mac); not running into a hectic battle field," Ryan says a bit irritably. It wasn't his fault that Fred worried over gunshots rather than Mike.

"Well, I mean, don't you think that we should at least go and check? I mean, Mike could be in that fight. I don't think it wouldn't hurt to find out," Ryan just shakes his head in annoyance; didn't he understand what he was trying to say?

"Yeah, and say Mike's not there and we get involved in a dangerous fight? What are we gonna do then?" Both teens stare each other down as if in a staring contest.

After what seems like hours of staring at each other, Ryan gets up and starts walking off in the direction of the river.

"Where are you going? I thought we were to-," Ryan cuts Fred off.

"-stick together? Nah, I could care less about that. I'm going to Daniel and telling him that we should just head back to the hideout. Mike's sure to show up there.

"Of course, if you want to go and investigate the gunshots-," suddenly the wind carries a bone-chilling scream and two more gunshots. This didn't go unnoticed by either of the two teens.

"Let's go! We need to tell the leader!" It was unnecessary to say that since they both broke out into a sprint heading to the river to tell Daniel that they needed to head over to the southeast gate of the city park and quickly.

**~With James & Jason~**

Neither of the two 15 year olds said anything to each other. They didn't even speak of Mac in terms of dead or alive.

That was their way of protecting themselves from reality; pretend that that person was invincible and can live through anything. Nevertheless, both of them head off to the river after the first gunshot sounded.

**~With Andie & Hex~**

Andie and Hex hear the gunshots and then start to argue on why or why not they should and shouldn't go.

"_Will you listen to me?_ Andie, you don't know how worried I am about you! It's bad enough that we have one person missing, but it's even worse to have two people to worry over!" Hex says heatedly.

Why couldn't Andie understand that he cared greatly about her? She's already wounded thanks to a damn rose bush.

"No! You listen to _me_! I don't care what you say or think about my well being! I can take care of myself, Hex! Who do you think has dealt with more than the rest of the gang, huh? It doesn't matter that I'm injured 'cause it's just a scratch; a _scratch_!"

"And I'm telling you that you shouldn't try and find Mike by yourself! You damn know as well as I that this is the time of day when the Revs are the most active! The best thing we need to do is get Daniel and-," Hex broke off just as he heard a twig snap and quickly hushed Andie.

After a few moments of unbearable silence, they dismiss it as a squirrel and go back to arguing.

"-and head back to the hideout. I don't know what the hell he was thinking when he went to the river by himself!" At this, Andie came up with a retort, but it dies in her throat as Hex goes falling to the ground, holding his leg.

"AH! Hex! Are you okay? What happened? Why are you on the ground? Is that- is that… _blood_?" Andie whispers the last word and starts to freak out.

In all of her screaming and begging and crying, Hex manages to say, "Get the…. Get anyone that…. That can help…. Help us. Tell them…. Tell them that I was…. Was s-shot," the next part was said between gritted teeth and in a harsh whisper.

"_Go! Go and get someone! Stop standing there!_" Andie stares at the bleeding wound and doesn't move at all. Hex gets even more agitated and starts to say something to Andie when he was suddenly picked up and tossed, carelessly, into a tree.

"We meet again, losers!" The cold voice makes Andie freeze and, slowly, she turns around. A gun was pointed directly at her chest. She got a good look at the face of the cold voice. He had one baby-blue eye and one pitch black eye matching nicely with his face that looks like a mix between a pug and a bull-dog.

"W-What do y-you want? Get l-lost! You R-Rev! This is o-our territory!" After Andie worked so hard to get rid of her stutter, it comes back at the wrong time.

"Your territory? _Your territory? _Ha!I think not, sweet babe! This is _our _territory now!" The pug faced guy says and spits at her and she jumps back just in time to avoid it.

Hex became outraged at this and drags himself up pulling out his hand gun as well. Despite the pain shooting through his body like electricity, he limps over to the mismatched eye guy and delivers a fairly weak, but strong, punch to his face.

"You fucking _twit_! What the hell did you do that for?" It was clear that this Rev was beyond pissed. _'Shit this is…. Bad…' _Hex thinks and jumps straight to his comeback.

"No one, and I mean _no one_ hurts my girlfriend!" He says in rage and Andie is shocked and terrified by what he said.

'_He…. He…. Calls me his girlfriend? Oh my God! He does love me! But…. _Idiot_! What the hell was he thinking? Now we're in even more trouble?' _Andie says to herself and stands between the Rev and Hex. This just makes the Rev smirk and he reloads his gun.

"So," he says with venom in his voice after getting up and wiping the blood from his mouth, "you want to go with _him? _Well, then so be it!" He says and pulls the trigger.

"NO!" Andie screams and turns her back to the gun protecting Hex. Everything goes into slow motion and Andie lets out a loud scream, the loudest she ever screamed, before falling to the ground and gripping her right shoulder in pain.

"Well, I would love to stay, sweet babe, but… I have more important issues to tend to. See you in hell!" After saying this, the Rev tucks his gun into his trench coat and runs off; leaving the two teens in scared silence.

**~With Adam and Huston~**

Both of the teens were already heading off to the river to tell Daniel that they found nothing. It just so happens that Hex and Andie is on the same path that Adam and Huston decided to take.

Their light trot became a full sprint once their eyes caught sight of the two wounded couple. Adam was just about to ask what happened when Huston told him to drop it and tend to their fallen comrade's wounds.

After they patched Andie and Hex, they carried them off to the river where Daniel surly waits.

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Daniel looks out at the rushing river in despair. Mac could have fallen in and drowned or worse, their worst enemies could have thrown him into the river. Just when he was about to walk back to the center of the park, he sees Chris and Lexi, Adam and Huston along with Andie and Hex on their backs, and just stares in awe.

"What the hell happened? Where is everyone else?" Daniel asks not harsh, but not soft either.

"We heard gunshots and came rushing back here," Chris starts and Lexi picks up.

"So, we could get the gang and," then Huston picks up from there.

"Head to the area to see what it was when Adam and I came across Andie and Hex. We don't know who shot them or why, but Hex and Andie were losing a lot of blood so we patched them up the best we could and dragged them all the way here."

"But that still doesn't explain what happened to the rest of the gang," Daniel says and he looks at them expectantly

"We don't know what happened to them," Adam finally admits after a few minutes. At this, Daniel's face falls and he begins to pace back and forth, thinking over what to do next.

'_Should we go to the site and leave the rest of the gang behind or stay here and wait for the rest of them to come. Mike could be in danger and yet I can't risk the lives of my gang. What to do, what should I do?' _He starts to pace more violently and stops, facing the six in front of him and comes to a decision.

"As much as I hate to do it, I'm afraid that we'll have to wait for the rest of the gang to show up and pray that Mike isn't in danger of dying." He takes a large gulp and turns his back to all six of his friends and stares out across the river.

'_Please, by all means, Mike, hang on for just a little bit longer.' _No one dared to say anything and follow suit of their leader. It would take all of the luck in the world for Mac to still be alive.

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Izumo and Kotetsu finally make it to the meeting spot, **Chestnut 36****th**** Street**, and shake their heads for their answer when Iruka asks. Silence falls and no one says anything for a few minutes.

"Let's try Franklin's City Park! He has to be there!" Genma says suddenly making everyone jump.

"What would give you that idea, Gen?" Kakashi asks keeping his tone of voice a careful neutral.

"That's the only place we haven't looked yet. I think it's worth a shot," he says and Izumo pipes up.

"Genma, I really don't think it's good idea to go blindly searching through the city park," He says and Iruka beats Kotetsu to the punch.

"I say we do it. It's worth the risk, isn't? I don't think that the police are searching the park at this time of day." Everyone agrees and they start off in the direction of the park; their last chance of ever finding the boy. That is, of course, if they ever do.

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Mac still has his knife drawn and is now on high alert for anything suspicious. Even at the softest sound, he would flinch and use a death grip on his knife. This is the only thing that links him to his dead grandfather that he never got to see.

After a few moments of silence, he continues to walk on, not knowing how far he is getting into Rev Territory. By the time he reaches a park gate, he looks at what the sign reads: **West Entrance: Franklin's City Park**. He gasps and quickly backs away from the sign, looking this way and that, making sure not to slip and fall on the wet ground. When he backs far enough away and sets foot on the park's trail, he dashes first north and then northeast.

Several minutes later finds him face-to-face with **Good Man's** **Cemetery **or better known as **Blood Spill Cemetery**. The name is exactly what it sounds like; this is where all of the street kids go when they die either on the streets, in fights, or jail. Unlike average cemeteries, they have no writing on them; not even what day they died. As for who takes care of it and makes it nice, like other cemeteries, no one does.

Mac takes notice of how the wind begins to die down and how a fine mist settles over the tiny cemetery and decides that's it time to get out of there; after all, who wants to meet a ghost with a grudge?

A couple more minutes pass by and he reaches his final destination which is the willow that dips into the duck pond. This is the place where his grandmother and grandfather used to take him when his parents would drop him of at their house.

"_**Why waste such a beautiful day inside? The duck pond's the best place to cleanse the soul."**_She had once said when he asked why they couldn't just stay inside from the blazing heat of August.

"_**I think that's a great idea, Tina, let's go outside." **_That was always what his grandfather would say when Mac started to protest. However, he never knew that it was just to hide the fact that his parents were at some drug house shooting themselves up with God knows what.

He shakes his head to dislodge the past just in time to check his surroundings before all hell broke lose. At first, he thought it was the Revs, but then he found out, by their fighting style (guns, knives, hands, steel toed boots, and metal wrist and shin guards) that it is the Bloods and the Crept fighting each other.

Avoiding any eyes that may set upon him, he runs as quickly as he could to get away from whatever was going down. That was when it dawned upon him that the Bloods and Crept were planning a fight down at duck pond at three o' clock this afternoon. How could he have forgotten that and put himself in harm's way?

He wouldn't need to tell Daniel that because he already knows what he would say, "You idiot! What were we supposed to do if we found you dead? That's, if we would ever find you in the first place." He laughs at the Daniel inside his head and sits down on a bench about two miles away.

He becomes extremely sad after this and notes how alone he really was without the gang. At this point in his solitude he would give anything to have Lexi insult him again and that's saying a lot.

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**Authoress Note: Well, this is far as I will go for this chapter. Can you believe that, in Microsoft Word Processor, this was like 8 and ¾ of a page long? This is what has taken me so long in updating. It's hard to say what will happen next. I guess it's up to you now. Will you leave reviews or not?**

**With many thanks to you patience, **

**ferret assassin nin**


	6. Choices! Flight or Fight?

_**The Dark Streets**_

**Summary: When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their sides, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU**

**Author's Note: Have fun with this next chapter! This is where the plot picks up! 8 reviews! Go me! Yay!**

_**Chapter 6: Fight or Flight; The Choices of Lucky 13**_

After so many long minutes grieving over his friends, he finally gets up and heads in the direction of South District. Why _did_ he ever think of running away? Sure it was to protect the good Samaritans, but he didn't really think that through; the consequences, that is. Well, a choice is a choice and that's the only thing you can do.

No matter how much he tries, Mac's thoughts keep drifting towards death and despair and uncertainty.

Did his friends make it? Are they doing every thing that they can to find him? What about those guys that helped him yesterday? Are they looking for him right now? How many of his friends have died in the search of him? These questions then drift to even more grim ones.

Why would anyone go out of their way to find a worthless person like him? What did he ever do to stop pain and suffering? Maybe it was better to just kill his self to end all pain and suffering? No. How does suicide help anyone? That's just plain dumb. Either way, he still couldn't help thinking about what the best way would be to kill his self.

Before long, and without any actual thought, he was at the south entrance into Franklin's City Park. It just then occurred to him that that was close to both South District _and _his gangs' hideout!

The thought of human contact after almost two whole days of solitude made his heart leap in joy. Therefore, he dashed to his gang's hideout and prepared his speech for how idiotic he has been. He didn't know, however, that his gang was out by the river waiting for all of the others.

When he reaches the hideout, he soon finds that it's completely devoid of any form of life. They must be out looking for them. Which way would they go to find him? Where would they meet after so many long hours of searching and not finding him? The thought puzzled him.

Just as he was reaching his conclusion, he heard someone shout, "There he is! I told you he would be in the park!" He recognized that voice. Who did it belong to again? Wasn't it Genma's or maybe it was Iruka's? So they were searching for him after all. His rejoicing was cut short when guilt overwhelmed him.

Without any conscious thought, he made a mad dash for the river. Will he be risking death if he goes back there? Will he be tempted to kill himself? He didn't know, and didn't want to know, the answer to those questions.

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**~With Iruka and the others~**

Even though Iruka was a little uncertain about the outcome of searching the park, he really did think that Genma was on to something. Besides, Genma was once a street kid at one point, right? '_No, that's not right. What was he again? Oh! He was a runaway! That's how he ended up on the streets! He ran away from his parents!_'

The sudden happiness on Iruka's face made Kakashi ask if everything was alright. Iruka just shakes his hand dismissively. Why bother telling them what they already know?

After they reached the south entrance of the city park, they glance around to look for any signs of life or blue shirts or badges. When none were seen, they went through the entrance and Genma all but whispered, "There he is! I told you he would be in the park!"

Iruka was about to ask Genma if he was positive that was Mac when he saw the person wearing a black and baggy hoodie dash off into the direction of the river. His disdain shows on his face and he glares at Genma who laughs sheepishly and scratches the back of his head.

"I'm…. sorry? I… uh… didn't know he would run off like that?" He tries to explain and Iruka just sighs deeply and pushes his anger to the side.

"What did you expect him to do? Come running up and hug us for finding his sorry ass?" Kotetsu asks sarcastically. To say that he was angry that the kid ran off in the first place was an understatement. He was beyond pissed, but he wouldn't let it show when they come across the kid. Who knows what he's thinking at this point anyway?

"Kotetsu, are you alright? You're not mad at the kid are you?" Izumo asks this knowing, having been friends with Kotetsu since elementary school, that he pushes his anger out in sarcasm.

"Why would I be mad at him? He didn't do anything, did he?" The sarcasm was beginning to piss off Izumo. It was one thing to be worried sick about the kid and pissed as to why he ran off, but it was another to be angry at him for making them find him in this bitterly cold air.

"Kotetsu, listen to yourself, you're blaming something on a kid that's probably scared to death. He probably ran off like that when we found him because he was afraid we would want to strangle him or something of the sort." Iruka says this in a pleading voice. Everyone remains silent after this and head to the river, following suit of the possibly terrified kid.

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**~With Luck 13~**

The few missing people of the gang showed up at the river, minus Mac, and asked Daniel what they should do next. After all, he was the leader of the gang, but Daniel couldn't think of anything that would be safe to do.

Going to investigate the gunshots would be potentially deadly. Going back to the hideout and staying out of the cold would be just plain cowardly. What other choice did they have? This had to be one of the toughest questions for Daniel to answer. Finally coming to a conclusion he faces his gang once more and begins to pace.

"Alright, is everyone here now? Good. I have at least three choices we need to choose from. The first is to go and investigate the gunshots-," he rises his voice higher to over power the few complaints and agreements, "go back to the hideout and hope that Mike shows up, or we can wait here and pray that Mike has some idea of where to go." He knew that each of the choices was tough to choose from, but a decision had to be made now.

'_The decision is taking way to long to make. We need to make one and stick with it before anything else bad happens._' Daniel thinks desperately.

When he said that they had three choices to choose from, he meant that they needed to choose one at that moment; not a few minutes later. Then again, who was he to rush them in making a decision? He knows it takes him a lot longer than just a few minutes to make a decision. He grimly wonders if his slow decision making would one day lead them to death.

A few more minutes of quiet murmuring goes by and Lexi speaks up.

"We've made a decision, Daniel. We want you to make the decision. After all, you never led us into danger before." At this everyone voices their agreement and Daniel starts to get extremely flustered. He has to make the decision? The reason he asked them in the first place was because he didn't know what to do. Now, to be put on the spot like this, was a little more than discomforting.

He didn't want to be the one to lead his gang to their ultimately death. '_Wait, I'm the leader of this gang, it's my responsibility to make the decisions. Have I really been acting like a coward this whole time? Suddenly _I _don't want to lead the gang into death? Who the hell am I? What happened to me? I have to make a decision right _now. _Think, think, you _moron! _Think!_'

He finally makes his decision after fighting the hopeless war in his head. He didn't know what to do. For the first time, in a whole year and a half, he had to make a decision that could mean the difference between life and death. At that point he knew exactly what needs to be done.

"I'm so… sorry, guys… I really am…. I- I just don't know what t-to do anymore…. I- I really don't," he says in a small whisper that is carried by the bitter wind to the ears of his gang, family, and long time friends. Everyone was shocked at the fact that Daniel, the guy who could make a solid decision, failed to do so. So now what should they do?

For a few minutes no one of Lucky 13 said anything. Everyone was shocked at how much courage it had taken for Daniel to say that.

Did he really care about them that much that he couldn't make a decision on whether or not they should just go home? Perhaps, some thought, it was just he was too much a coward to make a decision such as this. Others, however, thought that he really needs to be comforted and they need to make a decision for once in their lives.

"Listen, it's time we make a decision. Daniel has left it up to us to decide whether or not we should continue with our lives at stake.

"If any time came for a decision that had to be made, now's the time to do so. Alright people, let's go find Mike! C'mon!" To everyone's surprise, even Daniel's, it was Fred who said it. Fred, the one who was always quiet, the one who was always a follower… If he could make a decision, then Daniel could.

"Alright, everyone, you heard Fred! Let's go find Mike," Daniel speaks up and everyone cheers for having their leader back.

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**~Going to Mac~**

He never once stopped running or looked back as to check whether or not they were following him. After the way he ran off like that, he couldn't bring himself to face his saviors. He wouldn't blame them if they were pissed at how he just up and left like that. They were, after all, risking their lives, or rather freedom, to help him out.

This thought made him sick to his stomach at how he betrayed such kind people. Why did he run off? Why did he feel trapped inside a house that he didn't belong in? Why couldn't he face them long enough to say "I'm sorry, please take me back off the streets; I promise I'll never run off like that again."?

Before long, and without even knowing what he was doing, he going back in the direction he had ran. Would they really want him back now that they knew he couldn't be trusted? Would they really want to risk their freedom just to save someone as pathetic as him? The feeling of guilt and fear and despair was knotting up into a tight, little ball of sick inside his stomach.

At that point he stopped dead in his tracks and he vomited anything that he had eaten in the last three days. As he started to lose his surroundings, as if he was dehydrated, nothing seemed to matter to him anymore.

Not finding his friends, not going back to the people who saved him, not fighting to live on the streets anymore… nothing. For once in his life, he felt peace and safety inside this bleak darkness of numbing cold; something he gladly accepted.

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**~With Iruka and the others~**

They finally make it to the half way point between South District and the river only to see a huge group of people heading in the same direction. Their first thought was that they were the police and then, upon a closer look, they were just kids ranging from the ages of thirteen to seventeen.

As the group of teens came closer and closer, they got a better look at the symbol painted on their arms; the number thirteen, painted in black with a red circle around it and a red, diagonal line going from one point of the circle to another with "Lucky" written in black lettering on it. This gang symbol could only belong to "Lucky 13".

Could this be the gang that Mac belongs to? Could this group of teens be the rivals of the Revs? Is this why Mac ran off from them? Was it because he had to get back to his gang? All of these questions and many more were running through the heads of the five men standing there.

There was only one way to find out and that was to risk socializing with this gang of street kids. However, before they could even get any closer, the whole gang stops five feet away from them and just stand there; ready to fight or take flight.

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**~With Lucky 13~**

Daniel and his gang continued to walk from the river to the direction of the South District to hopefully find Mac. Would their efforts in finding Mac finally pay off? Was this their last chance as to finding him alive? These questions plus several more were darting through the minds of "Lucky 13".

Suddenly Daniel, being at the very front of the tight nick circle, stops dead in his tracks and his whole gang follows suit. Daniel stopping usually means impending death, fights, rivals, or even worse, the cops. This time, however, everyone wonders why he stops for a small group of people in front of him. They're not a gang, right, so why stop?

As if answering her question, Daniel says, "Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here?" His voice echoed throughout the bleak silence that was Franklin's City Park. The effect was a little more than just unnerving. Are they really the only ones here or is something else going down?

"We're the people who saved your friend's ass. Also, we're searching for Mac; I guess you wouldn't know either?" It wasn't Iruka, Genma, Kakashi, or even Izumo that spoke, but Kotetsu. Izumo didn't think he was the best one to be talking at the moment. If he says the wrong thing the gang might jump them or something of the sort.

"Sorry about Kotetsu, he can real ass sometimes. Uh… would any of you know where Mac is by chance?" Izumo asks this to cover up for Kotetsu's mistake, but no one in the gang would speak up. Were they planning a way to jump them later or are they planning on jumping them now? Twelve against five were not very good odds; no matter how capable fighters they were.

Finally someone speaks up and it is a girl who has an attitude. "Uh… what does it look like? We're searching for Mike, not Mac, shit-for-brains. Anyway, who would know where that person is? We're-," what Izumo supposed was the leader of the gang cuts the girl off.

"Lexi, shut it; we don't have time to start fights and we really don't need all of the drama right now, alright?" Lexi goes silent and looks anywhere but at the supposed leader.

"Right, sorry, James; how about you take it from here, Daniel?" So this James person was the leader of the gang? He looks to be only fourteen or fifteen; there's no way he could be the leader of the gang is there?

"Well, half of what Lexi said is true; yes, we're searching for Mike, however, we don't know where he is. On the bright side, we think we have a good idea where he _might _be," Daniel says. '_Apparently, Mac decided to use his false name when ever he had encountered these people. This is going to cause quite a few problems if we don't hurry and find him._' Daniel thinks listening for what their response would be.

"Mike? Who's Mike? Do you mean Mac?" A person with honey blonde hair asks. Daniel tries to stall for time so he quickly thinks of a diversion; sadly, none came to him.

"Uhm… sorry, but we really don't know who this Mac guy is. However, we do know a _Mike_. Is this the person you're searching for?"

"I guess it is. He probably lied about his name anyway," Kakashi says since both Izumo and Kotetsu go silent. He knew that there was no way they could actually hurt them. Besides, "Lucky 13" isn't the type to attack unless they're provoked; he should know, after all, he was once in a gang that was allies to "Lucky 13".

"You're probably right. I did lie about my name. Why would I want to give a stranger my real name anyway? That's just plain dumb; suicidal almost," every one of both groups of people gasped. How long has Mac/ Mike been there?

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**~With Mac~**

Mac finally manages to pull himself from the relaxing numbness long enough to realize that he had somewhere to go and he needed to get going right _now_. His legs were sluggish to the reaction that his brain was trying to send to them, so he decided that a little bit of encouragement would help.

"Quick! Run! The cops are gaining on us! Hurry! Don't worry about me! Go!" Not a moment after he shouted this did his legs kick into gear and he was up on his feet dashing to his goal; South District.

Not long after running, his legs started to give out again and he felt unusually dizzy, disorientated, and sick once more. He ignored this feeling and focused on his goal because he believed that he couldn't waste anymore time sitting down and doing nothing; after all, he's not a coward. However, he didn't ignore the fact that his stamina was steadily declining and his body started slowing down making him weaker and weaker by the minute.

That was the thing he hated the most when he forced an adrenaline rush on himself; the down fall of his stamina. '_I need to find a point to stop and take a break before I really do overkill._' As much as the thought made him frustrated, he knew he could only avoid the clutches of that numbing darkness, which keeps haunting the back of his mind, for so long. He wasn't a coward or weak, but he wasn't Superman either.

Just as he was starting to feel severely weak and falls to the ground on his knees, the idea suddenly hit him. There is a halfway point between the river and South District in which he could rest for a bit and regain his strength before heading the rest of the way to South District. He had no idea what he would do from there when and if he makes to that district, but he'll make it up as he goes along.

Pulling on the last remains of his stamina, which was practically zip to none, he forces himself to his feet and starts to run in the direction of the halfway point, his last resort; his only resort.

After a few minutes, he trips over his feet and skids across the asphalt path that was the trail to the halfway point. The sudden stabbing of pain in his knees, elbows, and head forced him to submit to his knees and dry heave for what felt like hours, maybe even days, to him.

Once the dry heaves were done and over Mac got back to his feet, despite his body's protest, and proceeds to his destination. '_C'mon… just a bit further… I can do this; I have to do this! _Damn it!' He, once again, falls forward onto the hard and unforgiving ground of solid rock. Mac knew that he has reached his limits and can't go any further than this. There was one problem though and that was the fact that he refused to give up; that refusal is probably, no, _is _his ultimate defense!

Despite the pep talk going on inside his head, his body refused to move any further and his brain continued to force the motion into action. Then he suddenly hears voices in the distance and strains his ears to listen to them.

"Lexi shut it; we don't have time to start fights…. Don't really need all of the drama right now…" Mac's brain is so sluggish that he can barely make out the voices, but somewhere he knows that voice; he has to continue, people are looking for him.

"…Lexi said is true; yes, we're searching for Mike…" Lexi… where did he remember that name? That voice… whose voice was it? Who were searching for him? His brain agrees to listen to more of the conversation.

"…is this the person you're searching for?" If only he knew whose voice it was! '_Think… who was searching for me? Wasn't it those guys from South District and Lucky 13? Yes, they are searching for me… that means I have to _move!' At this thought his legs begin to work on nothing but his will.

He would push himself far and above the bar of friendship and loyalty. No, he wouldn't just push himself, but he _will _push himself further and further, one step after the other, just to see his friends again.

Only by some miracle, did he make it only two hundred feet from both his saviors and his gang.

"…probably lied about his name anyway..."

Then, by some miracle, he had enough will to speak up and say, "You're probably right. I did lie about my name. Why would I want to give a stranger my real name anyway? That's just plain dumb; suicidal almost." Everyone gasps and he finally gives into the strong force that was the numbing darkness. God knows he needed to rest. The question was, however, will he- or rather- _did_ he have the power wake back up again?

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**AN: HA! I hate cliff hangers myself, but I couldn't help it! So much drama and suspense! As for those that are saying, "Where in the heck is the fight?" I have to say, "It's coming people! This chapter needed to be written to help the plot! Don't worry it'll be here soon; once our hero wakes back up!" *sweatdrops* So……. There's a lot coming up in the next chapter so stay tuned! **

**Hates cliff hangers, but loves suspense,**

**ferret assassin nin **


	7. A Time to Win and Cry

_**The Dark Streets**_

**Summary: When street kids are left for goners and no one is on their sides, what is there left to do? Maybe there might be some hope, but will that only become a nightmare? In this world, you can't trust anyone; not even your closest friends. Naruto AU**

**Author's Note: There's none really except for the few warnings added on.**

**Warning: Implied child abuse, extreme violence, **_**possible**_**- but not likely- character death, and slight insanity. **

_**Chapter 7: Up and ready to fight, win, and… cry?**_

**~Inside Mac's Head~**

There's nothing but darkness… endless darkness like a sea of black. Where there should have been light, there wasn't and Mac starts to freak out. What kind of dream was this? At which point should you wake up at?

There wasn't a sign or a light or… anything; just nothing but velvet darkness. Did he die and move on to wherever he should be? Perhaps, he was trapped in a rabbit's snare with no escape and was still waiting for his verdict; innocent or guilty?

Would he see his god forbid father and mother or his blessed grandparents? He shudders at the thought. For some reason he doesn't feel pain and suffering or anything for that matter. Why was he afraid of this darkness anyway? He's been through loads more than just empty and numbing darkness. Shouldn't he invite this numbing sensation or was it wrong to do so?

He didn't know when he got up, but he stopped walking and stood in front of a cloaked figure that he felt drawn to.

"**So, it's you again, huh? Why is it that every time we meet that I always feel that much closer to having your life in my hands?" **Who was this hooded figure? Was he really talking to him? He looks around and the hooded figure chuckles softly. **"I'm talking to you. Does it look like there's anyone else here, dear child?" **

"_Who, or what, are you? What do you have with me?" _Mac asks in a slightly timid voice. There was something about this thing that was menacing, but he couldn't pin what.

"**My dear boy, have you already forgotten me? Why, I'm your long time friend, Death. We were really good friends back about… oh, two or three years was it?" **Mac didn't quite understand what this thing's intentions were. The voice sounds soothing and coaxing, but evil and dangerous at the same time, so which is it?

Transfixed, Mac says quietly, _"Four. It was four years ago. Why are you here now?"_ Death laughs as though they had shared a good joke between long time friends. He smiles in a sly, chilling, and knowing smirk.

"**Tell you what; I really like you so I think I'll give you a choice-," **Mac cuts him off in mid-sentence.

"_What do you mean by, 'I'll give you a choice,'? What the hell are you talking about? Since when did Death ever give out choices? I think you're a-," _Mac was cut off by Death this time.

"**My, my, aren't we quite the observer? Let's just say that I…. hm… like you. That's possibly why. Well, here are your options; one- you can decide to wake up and face all of your pain and your mistakes, two- you can stay in this world of life and death feeling no pain whatsoever, or three- give yourself up to me by killing yourself."**

"_Okay, three is not what I want to do, two is an easy way out but it's a coward's choice, so I guess it would have to be one. I'd rather deal with one than give myself up to you; _scum_." _Mac didn't really care about the flash of anger glinting in Death's nonexistent eyes because just as soon as the anger had appeared, it was gone leaving nothing but a sweet, haunting, and knowing smile.

"**Fine, but if you ever need me, you know where to find me." **Death says vanishing into the dark recesses of Mac's mind. _**'I give the kid a day. He's already dead on the inside anyway.' **_Death thinks, laughing in a haunting jeer.

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**~At the Lucky 13 Hideout~**

After seeing Mac/Mike out cold and hardly breathing, Lucky 13 and Iruka's gang decide to take him somewhere warm where he will, hopefully, wake up. A little more than a few meters away from the gang's hideout finds Mac/Mike moaning and murmuring unidentifiable words. Everyone's face went from grim to relieved seeing how he wasn't dead; yet.

Daniel, already knowing what was happening said that they needed to put him down and wake him up before he goes ballistic. Iruka and Genma, who have been carrying him, comply and sure enough, Mac's body starts to convulse and he begins to scream at the top of his lungs.

"NO! YOU CAN'T… you can't…. PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT! PLEASE! Please…. please…" Then the severe shaking stops and so do both parties' hearts. What the hell was going on in his head?

Just as soon as Mac's outburst came, he was quiet once more and the two gangs continue to head to Lucky 13's hideout. Just when Daniel thinks everything will go smoothly, Lexi opens her mouth.

"Hey, hey, uhm…. Dude with grandpa hair, what were you doing with Mike anyway?" Genma and Kotetsu chuckle, Iruka and Izumo sigh, and Kakashi remains just as calm as always.

"I'm not old; I'm 28. My hair was originally this way. I actually take after my father. Can't say the same for you; did you dye your hair?" Kakashi inquires in a bored tone. Lexi curses Kakashi out in the back of her mind, but she doesn't comment.

"Wow, so you're 28? You looked more like you're in your fifties. If you ask me, I think you're just saying that. But hey, whatever you feel like saying, that's not up to me," Lexi says in flat tone of voice that is laced with sarcasm. It was obvious that she was trying to get a reaction from Kakashi, but Kakashi in question wasn't that easy to provoke.

"Actually, I'm not really saying that, but if that's what you think, then that's not up to me." At this Lexi goes silent and holds a deep resentment, but high respect, for Kakashi. There was no one who would as so much as challenge her like that, minus Mike, without betraying fear. _'Now how to get a reaction from this guy…' _Lexi smirks to herself and beings her devious scheming.

Silence falls among the group of men, boys, and girls. It was a bit strangling to remain quiet, but no one felt the need to break the uncomfortable silence. Then, something occurs that is both a blessing and a curse; a blessing because it breaks the heavy silence, but a curse because Mac/Mike was losing his mind.

"Don't touch me… you can't touch me… I won't let you touch me… DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T, DON'T, DON'T!!!_ DON'T TOUCH ME!!!_" This causes Iruka and Genma to yell in surprise, jump back in fear and drop Mac's body on the ground.

Meanwhile, Lucky 13 didn't even as so much as flinch. Daniel checks Mac's vitals and says they check out. James and Jason are then ordered to take charge of carrying Mike. They comply without any issue. To Iruka and the others, they were surprised at just how calm this gang was.

How often did someone lose their minds like that in Daniel's gang? What did they have to endure to become this way? None of the five men want an answer to those questions.

After a few minutes of getting Mike under control again, both parties continue on until they finally reach their destination; the hideout of Luck 13. Taking a quick glance of the hideout, one would say that there was no way such a small and rundown place could house thirteen teenagers. However, had they taken a closer look, they would see just how big it really was.

Daniel directs James and Jason to go first and place Mike on the couch. Then he asks if everyone would go in quietly and talk in whispers so they wouldn't wake Mac up.

"Not like it matters, Danny. I mean, he's unconscious, right? I don't think he would-," She stops talking as Daniel shoots her a death glare. Obviously, they couldn't trust these people quite well; then again, he doesn't trust anyone fully- not even himself.

Everybody complies, but Iruka, Izumo, Kotetsu, Kakashi, and Genma all ask several questions that ranged from how did they get the money to get food, how many rooms were in the hideout, why did they chose this specific place, how long have they had this place as their headquarters?

Lucky 13 give vague answers and give them only the basics of what they do. Too little information and they wouldn't trust them, but too much information would possibly put the gang in a dangerous situation.

So then, how did they answer all of the questions? Well, by saying phrases such as, "It's nothing really," or, "Well, it's not really too much of an issue. We're actually quite resourceful." Knowing that they weren't going to give anymore information than that, Iruka and the others stopped prying for answers.

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**~Back inside Mac's head~**

Mac didn't know why or how, but he starts seeing flashing images of dead body after dead body. Out of all the things that's the most disturbing; he has to say that seeing himself kill a Rev is worse than seeing his dog get hit by a drunk driver. Surprisingly, none of the other Revs found out about that particular murder- or did they?

Given that they had, Mac probably wouldn't be here right now; so, he was just being paranoid. Just as he decides to leave, an all too familiar scene catches his eye and he watches with deep interest.

It must have been when he five or six. He's sitting in the back seat of his uncle's Chevy when suddenly they are hit by a rushing maniac in a Ford pickup. Before Mac has time to dwell on it, bright blue and red lights are seen everywhere, paramedics are going this way and that, and people are screaming.

Then he hears crying and he looks closer at the screen to find out where the crying was coming from. When he finally sees the crying kid, he realizes that that's him screaming for his mom and dad and uncle while paramedics are loading him onto a stretcher.

"…_It's alright, it's going to be alright, we're just going to take you to the hospital to make sure you have no injuries." One of the paramedics soothingly says._

"_No, I want my uncle! I want my uncle!" The paramedics look at each other and one of them frowns._

"_I'm sorry kid, but, your uncle is dead. The crash killed him because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt." _The look on the kid's face- his face- is of complete terror. A god awful screaming is heard and Mac realizes that it's his younger self pleading for his uncle to come back. Then the kid falls asleep after one of the medics injected something…

Mac couldn't bear to watch anymore. He couldn't bear to see how weak he once was, how immature he was, and he couldn't bear to see just how naïve he used to be. Suddenly, a low chuckling is heard.

"**My, my, what do we have here? See how weak you were? Do you finally see why you had once sought my help? You couldn't bear to relive your most terrifying incident and you especially couldn't bear to live without your beloved uncle." **Mac stares at the hooded figure who just laughs in a high, bitter, and cold chuckle.

"‛**Uncle, uncle; I want my uncle! I want my uncle! It's my fault that I killed him! I was the one who killed him! Please, uncle, forgive me, **_**forgive me uncle, oh, Death forgive me!'"**_

"S-stop it… _Stop it!_ I'm not weak! _I'm not weak!_ I'm not, I'm not, _and I'm not_!!!" Mac cries in desperation. Of course, Death holds no mercy or any hospitality.

"**Stop it! Stop it! Oh, please, loving Death, please stop it! I'm not weak… please, I'm not weak!" **Death then goes on to laughing in a harsh and haunting way. **"If you're not weak, then prove it. Show me that you're not weak. Go out and kill your enemies, kill them and never look back." **

"Y-you're kidding… you have got to be kidding… I-I can't kill s-someone…" Mac says in an almost pleading voice. When all of his self-taught self-control, well-built fort- sealing him from his emotions- and his memories of scriptures from the Holy Bible mattered the most, he couldn't call on it.

"**You're pathetic. You humans make me so sick. Why is something as simple as killing someone is so hard when they have caused you so much pain and suffering; especially when you have done it before? **

"**Why do you like to suffer? What makes you pathetic beings so weak? How much more weak can you get? All of you **_**scum**_** makes me want to puke. Get the Hell out of here, you weakling." **

Then, as if Death had pushed him off a cliff, Mac begins to fall endlessly through coal black darkness, hitting all kinds of bones and grotesque figures that he wouldn't- and doesn't- want to identify.

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**~Outside Mac's Head~**

Mac takes in a sharp breath as if he was drowning in the non-existent ocean. The clear, crisp, and warm air fills his ice choked lungs and gives him enough strength to breath again and again until his breathing regulates.

He then hears a voice say, "Hey, hey, I think he's waking up! He's waking up, look!" Sure enough he feels someone tapping his shoulder lightly saying, "C'mon kiddo, wake up, we all know that you're not asleep anymore." The hell was this guy to tell him to 'wake up'?

It takes him a while to comply because he doesn't want to feel the shooting pain of lightning striking him, but he eventually opens his eyes and slowly sits up. He goes to say something but his voice gets caught in his throat.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, are you finally awake from your beauty sleep? If so, I think you need more sleep because you look even uglier than before." He jumps up off the couch and wraps his arms around Lexi and the punk teen is taken off guard.

"Oh, god, Lexi, I miss you so much. How long have I been out?" He asks and no one really answers his question. Mac takes this to mean that he was out for a day or more. Daniel answers his question in only two words.

"Three hours." Mac just stands there dumbfounded before he mumbles, "Three hours… it's only been three hours? I thought a whole day went by though…" That was when all of his memories before he fell unconscious flash through his head like a video in fast forward mode.

Suddenly, too many memories flood his mind: the conversation with Death, the argument between his parents, the killing of a Rev by his hands… "So that's what he was talking about… he's right… I can't believe he's right…" He says out loud in a desperate cry, getting several different looks from everyone.

"Wait, you're not making any sense, Mac. What do you mean? Who's 'he'? Who's 'right'? Maybe you have a fever." Iruka says and places a nervous hand on Mac's forehead. Whether Mac heard Iruka or not, all that matters is he's not dead- physically, anyway; mentally: God only knows.

"I'm sorry… I should have never… I just didn't want to… I can't believe that I almost…" His voice trails off and his eyes get a far away look in them. Iruka moves behind him and places both his hands on Mac's shoulder and Mac tenses. Suddenly, for a reason no one knew- not even Lucky 13- Mac goes ballistic.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" This sudden outburst caused everyone to jump in fear. No one, not even Lucky 13 knew what to do about this. He was losing his mind and there was nothing they could do to stop it. It was so horrifying watching him convulse; especially when his eyes are darting this way and that.

"Where am I? Who am I? How did I get here? Why am I here? Who are you people?" The convulsing stops, but his eyes still have that far away look in them as if he was seeing something that they couldn't see. For all they knew, he probably was.

No one from either party dared to touch him this time. In there eyes, he looks like a maniac who wants to kill all of them.

Would they really have the ability to turn their backs on him? Could they live with the fact of killing him if it came down to that? Would they even kill him if they could? All these questions race through Lucky 13s' minds. As for Iruka and the others, they wonder if it was possible to get help for him. Would he even want help from anyone? Of course, neither party dare speak these questions aloud for fear of what Mac would do next.

When Mac finally comes around, there's regret and some other unidentifiable emotion etched onto his face. His eyes lose the far away look in them and mountains of tears fall from them without any regret or shame.

Why was he crying? Mac didn't know; it just felt so good to cry in what felt like forever. He never felt such unbearable pain except when… no. He refuses to go back down that road. What's done is done; nothing can change his past and everything can change his future.

Everyone looks at each other in utter confusion. Was Mac really crying… he couldn't be… could he? Then James gathers all of his courage and pulls his best friend into a mind blowing hug. James himself knew what all had happen in Mac's past. After all, he went through the exact same thing.

Just like Mac, he lost his mom and dad, his grandparents, his uncle and aunt, brother and sister… he even faced Death himself and glimpsed the gates of Hell. The only difference was that he almost succeeded in killing himself. Had Daniel and Mac not been there to save him from his self he would be dead by now.

Once a couple of minutes pass by, Mac finally calms down enough to say, "I'm so… weak… I'm sorry… everyone… I'm sorry I'm so weak… I'll never cry like this again… I promise." As James stands up Mac follows him and James hits him on the back of his head; not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to make his point. When and how they ended up in the floor was beyond Mac. Everyone was shocked at this action.

"You idiot, listen to me, you're not weak and everyone has the right to cry. Don't make stupid promises like that; ones you know you can't keep. If you ever say that again, I'll be sure to punch the sense back into you. Now stop saying that, you pathetic friend of mine." Mac laughs causing James to laugh and everyone soon follows suit with this infectious laugh.

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**~Two hours later~**

"Alright, does everyone understand what needs to be done? Iruka, Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Kakashi, we need you guys to stay here in case the Revs decide to drop in for a cup of tea." Daniel says.

Just an hour ago, after they got the old Mac back, Daniel came up with a plan to take down the Revs once and for all. His plan wasn't fool proof and dozens of things could go wrong, but that never stopped Lucky 13 before. "Lucky" wasn't in their title for nothing.

"Lexi, James, and Jason, I need you three to go on ahead of us and scope the battle field out and spy on the Revs. Hex, Andie, Fred and Huston, I need you two to stay behind and keep an eye on the outside of our hideout. If anything looks suspicious, report it to Iruka and them." Everyone that Daniel mentioned nods once in understanding and Lexi, James, and Jason grab their weapons and head out the front door.

Would they survive this mission? Would they come back in one piece? There was only one way to find out and that was to venture into the belly of the beast.

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**~Inside the main room~**

Once everyone heads off to where they're supposed to go, Daniel goes and sits on the couch and a few minutes later Mac follows him.

"Hey, Dan, why didn't you send me out with 'em? You know that they don't get along well at all unless I'm there." Daniel looks at Mac and Mac looks at him. An uncomfortable silence falls for what seems like centuries before Daniel says anything.

"Forgive me, Mike, but you know I can't trust you out there." At this Mac looks at him in disbelief. Before he could get a word in, Daniel continues hurriedly. "I can't trust you because you might have another breakdown and we can't risk that when dealing with the Revs.

"I could send you out, but then how would I know they wouldn't kill you or you wouldn't kill them? I just want to-," Mac quickly cuts him off with a whole air of frustration.

"So that's it? You think I' m a maniac? You actually believe that," he laughs a bitter laugh before continuing, "I can't be trusted with a weapon? That's it, isn't, forget you; I don't need you or anyone else!!"

Daniel tries to stop him from leaving the room, but Mike throws a punch that hits Daniel right in the stomach that knocks the wind out of him. Mac takes this moment to aim a kick straight at Daniel's face but he recovers just in time to doge it and jump behind Mac. Before he could get his arms around Mac, however, Mac turns on the dot, grabs him by his wrist and proceeds to flip him over his head and slams him on the ground; hard.

Daniel grunts and attempts to get up, however, Mac is too fast and starts raining down punches and kicks on him. He reflexively curls into a tight ball and protects his head and abdomen from any harm. He was expecting Mac to keep hitting him so he becomes surprised when he stops punching and kicking. Daniel uncurls and forces himself into a sitting position long enough to see Mac head for the dinning room closet where Daniel keeps all of the spare weaponry.

In the brief interval of Mac turning his back on him, he knew it was now or never. Just as Mac turns around at the sound of feet stomping down the hallway, Daniel knocks the weapon out his hand, takes his body and flings him into the wall before finally pinning Mac with his own body.

"Look at what you're doing, Michael. You're trying to hurt your friend and comrade. I really didn't want to believe that you were losing your mind, but this is the all the evidence I need. Now I know for certain that you can't be trusted on your own with anyone but me." Mac stops struggling against Daniel's hold and takes a minute to absorb this new information.

Daniel just now used his real name in that Hispanic accent of his. Daniel just said that Mac couldn't be trusted with himself or anyone but him. Now he fully understands why Daniel doesn't want him out of his sight; he couldn't be trusted with not hurting someone or himself. _"'You're trying to hurt your friend and comrade…. You're losing you mind… you can't be trusted…you're a bomb waiting to go off.'" _Mac turns the words over and over and over again in his mind and that is when he mutters he's sorry and hangs his head low.

Both of them knew that there was nothing that could be done now except wait in the living room for some kind of news.

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**~At the Revs hideout~**

James, Jason, and Lexi remained quiet all the way to the hill that looks over the Revs' hideout. Compared to their comfortable living quarters, the Revs hideout looked a slum and Lexi could've sworn that there was a piece of paneling slipping off of the roof.

"Are you sure it's safe to go in there? I mean, how can you be sure that the roof won't come crashing in on us?" James asks taking in the so-called 'hideout' of the Revs. Who could blame him for thinking that? The door hung off its hinges, some windows were boarded and others were cracked or broken out completely, the shingles on the roof looked ready to die, and the dead tree outside the home-sweet-home made the place look like a haunted house. All that was missing was the usual storm and darkness which might actually happen if they get caught in the storm that's building.

"What do you think we're supposed to do? Do you think we're supposed to just sit here and keep an eye on them? What a stupid question to ask… I can't, no- I won't- believe that you asked that question," Lexi says and James goes to pounce on her only to get stopped by Jason.

"What the hell are you two doing!? What part of 'I don't want you to die,' don't you two get? This is the Revs we're dealing with and all you guys can do is argue over a question? A _question _for Christ's sake!" At his words, Lexi and James apologize to each other and they review their infiltration plan.

Just when they had everything sorted out, they here laughing jeers. All kinds of things are running through their heads, but the first thought was protection and hide; all them complied without hesitation, not wanting to take chances with the Devil today.

"Hey, Gab, did ya hear? Luck 13'z gonna be bothin' us. Let'z pick 'em off like the lil' annoyin' flies them are." A now identified Rev says to his partner or partners. Now what should they do? Run like hell and get out of there or stay hidden and hope they won't be seen.

"Which should we do, Lexi?" Jason mouths to her and she shrugs her shoulders**.** What _can _they do; running like hell was out of the question since the shitheads were so damn close now.

"Let's hide here and see what happens. Have your weapons out and ready to go just in case, got that?" She responds in a harsh whisper. James and Jason never saw Lexi get this worked up before. They must really be in one hell of a situtation then. They listen to what the Revs were saying.

"...Heh, let'z beat they to a bloody pulp, J. A." The trio look at each other in faces that say we gotta get out of here and now.

"Yea, that sound lik a good ideas, Gab! Let'x head o're to thems place!" Then the two Revs were gone and all three headed back to the Lucky 13's hideout to warn the others. Would they make in time was all dependent on luck; something that they didn't quite have enough of.

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**And.... that's where the chapter ends. Sorry for the bad grammar at the end, but I had to get into the Rev's persona. Oh, and it's nothing racial, it's just all the Revs talk like that. So please, _please_, _PLEASE_no flames on that. On a different note, sorry it took so long to complete this chapter, but it just kept getting longer and longer. Now, chapter eight will be nothing but fight, blood, and more cursing. I may have to push the rating to M if it turns out like I think it might. (There will be a poll on that so go to my profile and give me some votes please and thank you!) **

**I tried my best at the fight scene with Daniel and Mac, but I'm not really good at writing fight scenes. Just warning you since the next chapter will be nothing but fight scenes. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how the story will turn out. Over all, I hope this was a decent chapter despite it's long-ness. **

**Review and Vote, **

**ferret nin**


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